If you did okay in Bonaire on nitrox, and with your stated dive profiles, nitrox will be highly optional along the Southern shores of Roatan. (I say this repeatedly so readers will understand that this does not apply to West End or Northern dive ops- the terrain there is less florid but much deeper)
I don't care what the "official studies" say.
There have never been any "official studies" of this purported effect. Put it in the same category as Split Fins, MOF, Snorkel Wearing, SMB use, Titanium wetsuits, depleted Uranium Regulators and whatever else. Belief transcends science.
(yes, Roatanman, I know you have been there a million times and they are no big deal to you)
I still do the Mary's Place dive and Calvin's Crack, as well. As a matter of fact, the way I do those dives, I am at the 75~90fsw level far longer than most divers. At Mary's, the DM always asks me to go in advance and then wait at 85' for the group to arrive and direct traffic to "the left". I then exit as usual, do another chasm that most swim past,
but then double back. While the group is ascending, I'm still piddling around deep in the canyons. I also often do a nearby overhead environment, Scutt's Slot, and slowly ascend to climb in the boat. Don't spend much time on top of the reef, but deep? You bet.
I do the same at Calvin's Crack. I am usually asked to slowly lead the pace, then at the 75fsw exit, I hover and point the oncoming line of people up the wall. After everyone has passed, I go into that "other" blind crack, and then reverse to do Calvin's backward. I spend appreciably longer times at depth than most any other diver... on air.
Where anyone can get into deco is on Dive #4, the afternoon drop-off dive. It is usually done along CCV Wall, and if you watch the experienced divers there, nitrox or not, they will keep it shallow. Why? Again- that's where the cool stuff is. Last visit there, K8sMate and Liz and I could be seen nosing around no deeper than 45fsw.
This is where we got the most extraordinary images.....
Stuff you simply do not find below the 45' phototropic zone.
You will likely find use for nitrox in the Maldives (I surely did!), but I will guarantee you that you would rather have been doing the cooking yourself during your upcoming Maldives trip. You'll see.
Get the nitrox cert when you are at CCV. No doubt about it!
I also avoid nitrox when unnecessary for dive profiles because air allows me to exceed the MOD limits of EAN. There's
my safety factor.
FRUIT: If you can ascertain when the vendor boats show up at the helicopter landing, they will sell you stuff out of their boat. Just ask Lobo when their schedule is. Along the road west to French Harbour, going through Barrio Fuerte- you are likely to see any number of bodegas selling fruit, veggies and Hello Kitty crap. (Since they are still on analog TV, I predict a huge influx of cheap TV's.)
Eldon's Grocery (in French Harbour) recently remodeled and it looks just like any US grocery store, albeit still suffering the vagaries of intermittent stock supplies. They have abandoned their former religious practice of being closed on Saturday and now keep very reasonable hours. Even though it is open when the CCV Bus passes with a new load of visitors from the airport, it would upset the apple cart to stop. It is a very short (1/2 hr) walk from the CCV landing, and you can get a cab back from shopping when you're done.
The best
Roast Chicken? I think a well known West End resident named MarcoA is keeping a running thread alive on SCUBABoard recounting the menus of the many and various west End restaurants. He has also a list of "Best Of" placed- and the roasted chicken category is in there. He is not island-wide travelled as much to know much about the nearby restaurant we at CCV love- "The View". He's got the West End nailed, though! We have a similar thread parked in a different forum on CoCoChat.
Patty Grier, the Instructor who will get you nitrox certified, turned us on to the place hours after it opened. Previously, we used to schlepp 45 minutes to a mountaintop restaurant that had just closed down. Patty is an absolute treasure trove of knowledge on where to get the best of what. People like MarcoA know the West End which is where 90% of the activity and tourist commerce is. Patty knows a bit about that (check with her staff for West End tips), plus she knows French Harbour, Barrio Fuerte, and the lay of the land around CCV as well. She knows the places to go!
Like so many things about CCV, many divers want to have it all laid out beforehand. Since it is indeed Honduras, the forthcoming lack of seemingly vital data is disheartening. RobinT can attest to this- a million questions beforehand and no one could assuage her concerns. Now that she has been there, she's in the same trick bag most of us are... how do you get people to understand? Just relax- it will all fall into place. Any answer given today is likely to be out-of-date by the time you arrive. Just ask Liz, the manager; Lobo, the #1; or any of the staff and you'll get great advice that is current.
Much like nitrox, a lot of CCV divers can't spend a week on the island without going to Geos or Romeos. Over the years, a few of us have slowly brought our friends and groups to The View (Dive Camp went there, I believe) , and it seems to be gaining traction over what was a traditional US flavor (and priced) restaurant (Geos) and offering instead some real island flavor.
Nitrox is spelled
nitrox when used thusly in a sentence, it is not a
proper noun. There are some other technical aspects of the stuff that are also understandably hard to conceptualize, while trying to get past the original and introductory 1980's marketing hype- which has evolved into
broadly accepted conventional wisdom.
:dance3:
